Employee exposes coworker in mass email for stealing credit on staff gift to management: 'Perhaps you can edit the card'

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    AITA for not contributing to staff gifts and calling out my colleague for taking full credit?
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    So, here's the deal: Every year since I (29F) started at this job (office job), there is one person (F56) that arranges an annual "Staff Christmas gift", where they ask everyone to contribute $30 total per person towards gifts for the 3 top executives.
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    In the last two years that we've done this, the 3 people in management who have been given the gifts have come down to our office and thanked that one person (F56) profusely for her generosity and how sweet she was to do this etc.. Last year, I asked her if she gave
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    something from just her as well and if that was why they thanked only her? She said no, but since she was the one who handed the gift basket to them and wrote the card (there were 3 others inc. me who built the actual baskets, she just insisted on doing the card), they maybe
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    misunderstood (note that she always does this first thing in the morning and will take the basket from our office and go up by herself regardless if people say they'd like to join her, and just say she "forgot" they wanted to come with)... Well, I checked with one of the
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    assistants because I am petty. The assistant told me that while the card said that it was from the staff, it did say "name of the lady and the rest of the staff", and that the same thing had happened the year before. At the time, I did not say
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    anything and just made a note of it for this year. Now, here's where I may have been a bit of an AH: This year, this lady once again sent out an email asking everyone to contribute a minimum of $30/per person for these 3 people. One
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    of the owners retired earlier in the year, but she felt he'd still really appreciate a gift. I answered the email and said: "Dear name, thank you for reaching out regarding this. I have given a lot of thought to this throughout the year, and have decided to organize my
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    own gift this year instead with a smaller amount as it's been a tough year financially for me and many others. Perhaps you can edit last year's card to say: "Love from her name and the rest of the staff, except for my name? Thank you, and happy holidays!"
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    About 5 minutes after I sent the email, she came storming over and told me that I had no right to accuse her of taking credit for the gifts and not including everyone's name. I asked if it was untrue that that's what her card said last year - to which she answered that that's how she's
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    always written the card. Apparently, she's currently scrambling, because a lot of other staff members are choosing not to join her gift this year, and her friend (F60) has told me that it was super petty and "not very much in the spirit of Christmas of me to ruin the
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    gift to management this year" while grumbling about how selfish I and other younger staff members are who don't want to contribute to the gift. So Reddit, am I the a_h_le in this situation?
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    Edit to add: Clarification that the minimum sum was $10 per gift, which is $30 in total for each staff-member, sorry if that was unclear (english is not my first language as much as I feel like I'm fluent, haha). Also: Thank you to everyone who answered so far, I definitely did not realize this was not common practice as I was told it was!
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    AFistoCat 14h ago • • Why are you guys getting your executives gifts at all? о д 13K ○ Reply
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    Loquacious555 • 14h ago • adorkable. Cer... Top 1% Comme... I'm curious why the heck the "bosses" need gifts at all?! Don't they make significantly more than the underlings? That's just ridiculous. NTA that lady deserves everything she's got coming to her. 2.6K D ○ Reply
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    SoMuch MoreEagle • 14h ago • NTA At the very least, they should have passed around a card for everyone to sign. I also think it's to expect the employees to pitch in for a gift for (the presumably better paid) management.
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    similar_name4489 • 14h ago • Certified P... Top 1% Comme... NTA the only ah le is the one who uses other's money, time and labour to buy their boss a gift from them. I bet she didn't even contribute any money. Frankly, you should have loudly asked the assistant why the three bosses snubbed all the other staff members who paid for and prepared the gift.
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    • pixyfire 14h ago • NTA. Gifts always flow down the chain of command. Never up the chain of command. The bosses should not be getting gifts. They should be giving you a bonus or gift card or something. This is business etiquette 101. This woman is completely out of line.
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    Hello JustSayin • 14h ago • NTA 1. There is no need to give gifts to superiors. 2. If a group gift is given, a card should be passed around for everyone to sign. And if people can't sign, the organizer should sign on their behalf.
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    3. Even if a group gift is given, it is not a requirement. However, the company culture may make it feel like one, and it may lead to people contributing to go along. Seems to me that she is a brown noser who wants the execs to like her, and she is using the contributions of others to help her with that. Her reaction is because she was "caught".
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    GemGlamourNGlitter Part ipant [4] • 14h ago NTA. She knows exactly what she's doing putting her name and then everyone else as a general group-- it's a conniving thing to do. If she wants to get credit, she can get it with her own money all by herself. Lastly, if they are executives, they make good $ and should be giving the staff gifts and/or bonuses.
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    rucafromtheeastside • 14h ago • A hole Aficionado [13] NTA. It's a gross culture when regular employees are expected to give nice gifts to management. Even grosser when one employee wants to take the full credit for it.
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